The New Girl
by jaywithoutthekay
Summary: When Cecilia, a winged avian hybrid shows up,the whole flock's world is turned upside down as they uncover the secrets and mysteries behind her past. Rated T for romance, minor cussing, and fight scenes.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride, maybe I would in an alternate reality. That would be AWESOME!

A/N Hey guys! I have taken a major writer's hiatus but I'm back! I know I do have some followers and fans; my heart goes out to you guys. I decided to write a new fanfiction about my new OC Cecilia who meets the flock in New York and decides to start traveling with them. Hopefully you enjoy my fanfiction and my OC, I promise that this will be an awesome drama and action filled fanfition. BTW this will definitely be multiple chapters, make sure you keep up! ^. ^ -Iggybeat08

Max

God, if this place were any dirtier then it would be a sewer. You know what, who am I to complain? Sleeping in a New York subway tunnel is the best place we've slept in weeks. I lay down next to Nudge with Iggy holding Angel in the corner, Fang sitting down with his back against the wall with his eyes closed, and Gazzy curled up into a ball in the middle of us all. We all are a couple minutes away from a good night's sleep (for us anyway) when I hear some footsteps that are wandering a little too close to our group area. I open my eyes and sit up just enough to see who is approaching. A girl that looks about 16 or 17 walks over, her hair is a dark black color that looks a little like Fang's . She is wearing a black t-shirt with grey skinny jeans; a blue and black checkered jacket is draped around her waist. She carefully steps closer and taps my shoulder thoughtfully thinking that I'm asleep.

"Hello, I'm sorry, excuse me? Miss?" she questions.

I fake groan and open my eyes fully, she doesn't look like an eraser but from the way she's standing I can tell that she is a tad hesitant and would be in a good position to jump back in case I were to lunge at her. I think I should be careful with this one.

"Ummm, yes?" I say looking at here intently.

"Hi, I uh, saw you and your group of friends strolling around today and um, well, I would just like to ask you one quick question, if that's alright with you."

"Sure, ask away" I remark unsurely.

"Well, I would just like to know if you've ever been to the School and have you ever met anyone named Jeb Batchelder?" she responds quickly as if anticipating my reaction.

As soon as this mystery girl finished her question I sprung up and pinned her against the wall, it felt a little too easy, like the girl let me pin her. The flock that were also pretending to sleep when she came around, sprung their eyes open and stood up and started looking at the teenager and I.

"Who are you, who sent you and why are you after us?"

"Whoa, I didn't want to start a fight, I'm not here to kill you or anything, and you probably think that I'm an eraser, well I'm not trust Me." she admits, holding her hands up.

"If you're not here the kill us, then explain to me how the heck do you know about the school, Jeb, and erasers?" I interrogate, pushing harder against her shoulders which doesn't seem to affect her.

"Because," she says with a sly smirk, "I'm just like you, I can prove it to; lift up my shirt some in the back."

I give this suspect my signature Maximum Ride death glare and look at her side.

"Nudge, do what see says." I command.

Nudge walks over while staring at the girl, the girl smiles back and I give her a small shove against the wall. The girl mutters something like 'just being friendly, my god' and Nudge lifts the shirt up about two inches in the back. I see Nudges eyes widen and she walks back a couple steps and drops the girl's shirt down with her hand covering her mouth.

"Max," she trembles with shock in her voice, "She's not lying."

A/N (12/20/13) Looking back I put a lot of weird things into this fanfiction. I'm in the process of editing some of it out. Thank for reading! Read and Review!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N Soooo This is where the flock is going to find out a little about Cecilia and where she comes from. Hope you guys enjoy the chapter! 3 Oh btw when I write the name at the beginning that's the POV.

Max

I eased my forearm off of her shoulders and bent down to see for myself. Sure enough, a pair of wings was there to greet me.

"I'm going to let you go, but if you try any funny business then the rest of us will attack you." I warn releasing her as I spoke.

"Kay, kay!" she responds with a smile while sliding down the back of the wall and into a Cris-cross position.

The rest of the flock looks at me unsurely and I give them a nod to know to do the same. We sit in a circle radiating out from the girl and stare at her intently waiting for her to speak. She seems to notice our stares and sighs contently. This feel oddly feels like a Kindergarten show-and-tell segment, I grin at the thought.

"Well hi, my name is Cecilia and I'm an avian hybrid and as far as I can tell you guys are too right? It would be awfully embarrassing if you weren't because then I would have to kill you!" Cecilia kids, no one laughs. "Oh, I get it, the serious type huh? Well I'm an open book, ask me some questions, I will gladly answer, but wait I'm getting ahead of myself, let me show the rest of you guys my wings!"

Cecilia glances around cautiously to see if there are any wanderers around and slowly relaxes and unfurls her wings. They are about the same length as ours, 14 feet and a deep crimson color. They were almost as beautiful as Fang's, with his wings a certain richness of black that makes them stunning, well her wings provided that same depth that rivaled Fang's. The younger kids look on in awe, with their mouth's hanging open and everything.

"What's going on? Remember the blind one here!" Iggy shouts with annoyance highlighting his voice.

"Cecilia, the girl that just showed up here has wings; they are a really dark red color." Gazzy explains he is crouched by Iggy still mesmerized by Cecilia's wings. His eyes never leave them as he is talking to Iggy.

"So you're blind?" Iggy nods, "Hmm, that's interesting, I've never met a blind person in my life, and I've been around, very cool." Cecilia remarks in a quirky kind of way. "So do you think I could get your names? Maybe see you're guys' wings too?"

"Go ahead guys." I command. Everyone silently nods at each other and releases their wings.

"I'm Max I'm 15, this is Angel she's 7, Nudge she's 13, Gazzy he's 9, Iggy he's 15, and finally Fang he's 15 also." I announce, going in the order that they're in the circle. "So, how did you find out about us?"

After Cecilia gets a good look at all of us she pulls her wings back in and starts to relax against the wall.

"At an early age I was taken away from my parents and taken to a lab and given these wings. I'm not exactly sure I was at the School or another facility but I didn't escape from there until I was about 8, you can imagine what they did to me in the meantime. While I was at the facility I was able to discover that I actually have a brother that was taken also, so once I was able to escape, I began my search. Soon after I left the Erasers showed up. Ever since then I have been constantly on the run and until a couple of months ago, I didn't know anyone like me existed. I had just gotten to Europe when I was attacked by a group of Erasers, I was able to kill them all but one and took that one as my hostage. I was able to beat some information out of him and he told me about another group of avian kids that were under surveillance somewhere in the U.S. So, I packed up my bags and came to the U.S of A, did a little sightseeing and touring and ended up in New York coincidentally at the same time as you all. I think this is as lucky as I've gotten in my 14 years of living. Well, I've told you about everything there is to know about me, is there anything special about you guys, besides the wings of course?"

I gesture at the flock to start one of those, 'circle sharing times', since Cecilia has opened up to us, maybe we should give some information in return, she's still on probation though.

"I'm the leader of our flock; I don't have any superpowers yet though." Angel's next.

"Hi, Cecilia, as Max said before I'm Angel. I can read minds and send messages to other people using my thoughts." I see Angel's eyebrow furrow and Cecilia cocks her eyebrow in response and smiles.

"Hi, hi I'm Nudge! Well, I guess you would know that already, well anyway, I don't have any powers yet either although I do like to talk. It's fun voicing your opinions because everyone gets to know your side of the story like with you, you've been on the run just like us. I mean, how _did_ you stay alive with no one watching your back. That must have been, like, 24/7 paranoia."

"NUDGE!" we all shout in unison.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I get carried away sometimes."

"We know Nudge, we know. Hi I'm The Gasman or Gazzy for short, besides the wings I can imitate voices spot on and it's not wise to be in an enclosed space with me, hence the name Gasman. Angel is my little sister, we are the only blood related siblings here. That about does it for me, Iggy, tell Cecilia about yourself."

Iggy looks down at the ground, he seems embarrassed. He raises his head up as if remembering something and starts to speak.

"I forgot to ask what you look like, I'm sorry to impose but I'm kind of at a disadvantage here."

Cecilia smiles caringly at Iggy and I think Iggy sensed it because he put his head back down and blushes.

"That's alright I understand, to begin with my hair is about shoulder length and it's a dark brown, black when it's in the sunlight and when its wet and brown when it dries up. I'm wearing a black t-shirt and grey jeans with a blue and black checkered jacket tied around my waist. I have a tanish complexion because I like to stay out in the sun, is that enough info?"

Iggy looks back up turning in the direction of Cecilia and grins a little.

"Yeah, that's great. Despite not being able to see, all of my other senses are heightened, I can tell the flock a part by their footsteps or their fingerprints," he explains and offers his hand.

Cecilia accepts the invitation and Iggy holds it as if he were drawing the information right out of her. Iggy lets go and Cecilia returns her hand to its spot on her lap.

"Now I can tell you apart from the others. When you decide to get up and walk around, I will be able to identify you by your footsteps."

"Wow," Cecilia stares at him in amazement. "That's totally awesome."

This turned out to be a blush fest; if they hadn't just met about forty-five minutes ago I would have to say I sense some smitten.

"Well okay, I'm Fang it's very nice to meet you Cecilia." Fang states politely holding out his hand also to shake with Cecilia's.

"You guys are welcome to call me CeCe if you want too." She says taking Fang's hand and shaking.

No words could express how I felt right then. Fang, my Fang, my right-wing man was being nice to some girl he doesn't know anything about? Talk about out of character; he never gives anyone but us one of those signature smiles, which is so weird. Whoa, am I jealous? I quickly push the thought out of my mind knowing that Fang is smarter than that, he knows enough to still be wary of this girl, just because she has a back story doesn't mean that it will check out or anything. What I was thinking must have showed on my face because the whole flock including Cecilia was staring at me.

"Is everything okay there Max?" Fang questions with that plain emotionless persona back on his face.

"Oh yeah I'm fine, just…thinking" I respond with a non-chalant attitude.

"Okay then," he lets go of CeCe's hand, "I don't have any abilities yet either but maybe I'll get some soon." He finishes with a nod of his head.

"Wow, you guys are a talented bunch, but I forgot to tell you about my abilities."

Cecilia scans the circle over meticulously looking over all of us very carefully with and intent appearance in her eyes. Her gaze lingers over to Iggy who is covering his forearm with his hand. Cecilia tenderly reaches over and lifts Iggy's hand away from his arm and reveals a deep gash that none of us noticed he had earlier.

"Iggy why didn't you tell us earlier, that needs to be wrapped up!"

Iggy winces and Cecilia holds up a hand to silence me still having her eyes transfixed on the cut. I am taken aback by her attempt to quiet me.

"I will not be quiet! That could get infected and then we would have to go to the hospital and the School would definitely be able to find us then. You can get captured if you want to but I have a family to pro-"

"Max," Angel says with some hidden authority in her voice, "Calm down."

I am rendered speechless then by the tone in my little girl's voice. I then turn to observe what exactly Cecilia is doing to Iggy. I see a slightly pained expression on his face and then Cecilia lifts her hand up and places it gently on the wound.

"Agh!" Iggy yelps, still wincing.

Cecilia closes her eyes in concentration and it seems as if her palm glows slightly orange. Iggy doesn't seem to know what's going on either but his expression softens and he lets out the breath that he had apparently been holding. She sighs and smiles as she lifts her hand off of Iggy's arm. The wound that used to be there had been patched up with not even a scar there to prove its existence.

A/N So she's a healer! Whoa, game changer. . Totally cool right? Read and Review.

A/N (12/20/13) From this point on I change writing styles a bit, but it's not too confusing. I've grown as a writer!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Maximum Ride but I wish I did…oh if JP or any of the Cartel band members are reading this…..EMAIL ME!

A/N SOOOOOO Last chapter we found out that Cecilia was a healer! Max being her overprotective self started yelling at Cecilia. Ever think that Max is just ignorant sometimes? Yeah, me too, but that just makes her great to laugh at! But after a short wrap up of their night in the subway tunnels, we're going to get to experience a day in the life of Cecilia!

Cecilia

Good gracious she IS the overprotective type isn't she? I didn't hurt Iggy, quite the opposite actually. I guess she does have the right to be cautious, I can see in her eyes that she still doesn't trust me really. I've learned with my years of being on the run that trust comes easy, forgiveness is rarely given. Luckily I don't have a problem with either, but that doesn't mean that if you cross me I won't kick your butt. Looking at a wide eyed "flock" I get ready to explain.

"Handy right? I don't take in any damage except a lowered blood sugar, speaking of which….." I inform them pulling out a Twix bar feeling just a tad light headed.

I take a bite of the candy, which I always have in my pocket for situations just like this, and survey the room. All of the younger kids; Nudge, Angel, and Gazzy stare at the chocolate with a desperate longing. I feel bad, but I figure it would be better to lay down the law now.

"Sorry kids no candy. If I ever run out of this stuff or heal without some on hand, I'll pass out, which usually means I'll end up dead, captured, or in a hospital, all not real good options."

Max clears her throat and they all turn toward her as if waiting to be ordered around.

"Okay guys, it's been a long night time for us to get some shut eye, so hit the hay everyone." Max commands.

I resume my place alongside the wall and that Fang kid assumes the same position beside me, but not to close I observe. The rest take on the positions I initially discovered them in. I could tell that Max wasn't going to sleep a wink tonight and at that, I went to sleep smiling.

(Magical Black Hole of Time Change)O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-

There isn't sunlight to wake you up in a subway tunnel, but I assume that my internal clock woke me up, that and all of the others staring at me intently when I opened my eyes.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" I yawn sleepily.

Seriously, what is up with these guys? They are obviously not very experienced at being a type of nomad or doing anything for that matter. Don't get me wrong, I mean not like these kids don't have it bad, but from what I heard from some of the Erasers is that these guys were basically put in a lab, were experimented on, and then they were spoon fed for the remainder of their years until now by this Jeb Batchelder guy. All _I_ know is running, fleeing, and trying to get away, they must have thought that they were the ones who were worse off, that their lives are just a freaking hot mess. They just don't know do they, ignorance is the first step to death and if I'm going to stay with these guys and have a family that is in the same boat as I am, I'm going to have to teach them a little about survival. Survival only works one way, of the fittest.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh nothing we were just waiting for you to get up."

"Alright then, I'm up so let me show you how a convict lives!" Without further ado I trot away and up the stairs greet the surface world and the glorious sun.

"We must go to the park!" I exclaim triumphantly pointing my finger forward to instruct the gang on which way to go.

(Magical Black Hole of Time Change)O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-

After strolling down the sidewalk for a couple of blocks we conclusively ended up in the park. In the heart of the park stands a lofty oak tree, I approach the tree in good spirits as the flock take spots around the park, some on the grass others on the benches but all watching me. I clench the lowest branch and swiftly scale the tree with ninja-like precision (Me: *giggles*). I wrap my hand around a handle and plunge back down to the earth landing on my feet. I hoist the hefty case and make my way to the others in a shaded area and casually park myself in the grass.

"So this is called 'How to Make Money When You Have to Do Everything Yourself 101'. Take note, street performing is the easiest and most practical way to make quick cash." I clarify.

I open the two golden buckles on my case to reveal a vibrant shadowy purple laced guitar with a charcoal black lining. They must think that I am absolutely full of surprises, like a magician's top hat. I tenderly lift it out of its case and conjoin the violet studded guitar strap and take the matching pick from in between the neck strings.

"Wow so that's how you've been getting by, it all makes sense now." Max remarks coolly as if just putting together a 100 piece puzzle.

"Yeah this is how I do it, I got this with the money I had pick pocketed over the years.

"So," I began snapping out of my daze, "Want to hear a song?"

A/N So I guess I'll end it here. If you have any ideas for my character you should definitely tell me I would love to hear from more of you guys. I also wanted to touch on the money because James Patterson never did really say where they got their money from except that bank card so we were left to imagine it. Tata for now! R&R!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Cecilia

At about noon time I had already made thirty dollars so I figured it was a handsome day's profit. I packed up my guitar and the flock gathered around me. The flock. It has a nice ring to it I have to admit.

"So what now, is that all you do?" Max sneered, obviously upset that I had already perfected the art of being homeless.

"Well," I rummaged through my backpack, "I'm a little short on candy so I think that I'll stop by a drug store. I did make thirty dollars today so maybe I'll get you guys something."

The kids were practically falling over themselves with pleads to go with me to the store. Max gave me a glare that said she pretty much despised me.

"Fang, how about you stay with the kids and Iggy and I will go to the store with Cecilia." Max suggested.

"That's all right Max. How about_ I_ go with Cece and _you_ stay with the kids." Fang put his hand on my elbow and guided me down the sidewalk, "Come on, Ig." We proceeded to walk on before Max had a chance to argue.

A few blocks later we arrived at a corner store.

"What do you guys want?"

"Do they have anything fruity? I'm not really into choc-" Fang nudged Iggy in the ribs, "Never mind, I'm fine."

Fang led Iggy away whispering to him something that sounded like_ You really don't know how to flirt with a girl, do you?_ I surveyed the aisles and chuckled to myself. Men are so stupid. I picked out a couple of Butterfingers, Reese's Cups, and Milky Ways for the kids and some Nerds and gummy Lifesavers for myself. I needed to get candy that wouldn't melt so I could keep them in my bag for a longer period of time. I also picked out a giant water bottle, cotton balls, rubbing alcohol and a lighter from the register. I picked out the rudimentary medical supplies for the minor cuts and scrapes. You can't just go around healing every injury, but I also couldn't risk getting any sort of bacterial infection either. After paying I signaled the guys and we started back toward the subway.

This time was different. Instead of us strolling in a group, Fang decided to hang back behind us leaving me to talk with Iggy.

"I never got a chance to properly thank you for healing my arm."

I grinned. "It was no big deal. I can't tell you how many times I've gotten into a predicament. Anything is better than a hospital. Oh and here," I reached into my bag and pulled out a box of Nerds. "I'm not the biggest fan of chocolate either."

He smiled. It was a genuine smile, one that I hadn't seen in a while. It was comforting to know that with all that has happened to them, all that _will_ happen to them, they're still able to smile. Things like that gave me hope for a better tomorrow and that one day I will be able to get out of this mess.

When we got back to the subway Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel were all super excited to see me. I passed a candy bar to each kid and tossed one to Max with a wink. She only glared at me, then opened the chocolate. Noticing Fang standing alone in the corner, I strode over to him and handed him a Milky Way. He seemed surprised at first, but he smirked and ate it graciously. _That's my good deed for the year._

We all talked for a while, the flock about what it was like to stay with Jeb and I about being on the run for so long. Instead of spending another night in the subway, we decided that it might be better if we were to go back to the park and sleep in the trees. Before long it became late and I said goodnight and settled onto a branch with my case as a pillow.

-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O-o-O

"Cece," someone was shaking my shoulder, "Wake up! We have to go."

It was Iggy. I heard some shouting in the distance, but I was too drowsy to make out anything distinct. Suddenly, I felt to arms below me and the familiar feeling of being afloat.

"You awake now? You're kinda heavy." Fang implored somewhat desperately.

"Yeah, yeah sure thing. Just drop me."

Fang glanced down at me with a bewildered but curious look. He didn't ask any questions and did as I asked. Free falling was probably my favorite part of flying. If I dove down headfirst I could whip my wings out without them catching in the wind. In other words, it wouldn't hurt. At the last possible moment before I hit the ground I let my wings loose and rode the current upwards. It was a surreal feeling knowing that you were one of very few who could feel this blissful moment. Sometimes this made being hunted worth it…but then I'd be brought back to the harsh reality in which I could die any second. I meet the flock back up in the air and grabbed my case and backpack from Nudge and Gazzy. Years of experience made me familiar with the weight and able to carry it without fatiguing. I assumed a position next to Fang and shoot him a grateful grin in which he happily returned.

A/N Yay chapter four is done! Read and Review please!


	5. Chapter 5

After flying around for a bit, the flock and I landed in a patch of woods outside of town. The kids collapsed, still not over being woken up in the middle of the night. Max glanced around uneasily, like she was trying to stay alerts to any potential dangers. I placed my guitar and backpack on the ground and stood in front of Max.

"I'll go check the perimeter out so you can get some rest. You seem tired."

She stared at me apprehensively, but when she did not object, I began to make my way to the edge of our make shift camp.

"I might as well go with. It's not like I have anything better to do."

Fang walked toward me, then turned to face Iggy. He shook his head in silent response, as if he knew that Fang and I were better off alone.

We waded through the dense forest, pushing aside branches and twigs so that they would not rake our skin. I took the lead and while Fang hung back behind me. We continued to move in a big circle.

Eventually, Fang became bored of the apparent silence.

"Do you know anything about where you came from? Your parents, I mean."

"Well, no. Just the whole "brother" thing. Truth is, I don't even know what they did to him at the School, or wherever we were. He could have wings like us, or heck he could be an Eraser for all I know!." I sighed. It seemed to be an automatic response. "I think that's what sucks the most. The not knowing."

"Yeah I get that. My mother was young when she had me. Figured she didn't want some snot-nosed baby around, so she gave me away to the Whitecoats. I bet she got some money out of it too."

I paused for a moment and turned to look at Fang. I sat and motioned for him to do the same. Once he was sitting, I gingerly put my hand on his forearm.

"You shouldn't think like that. It's bad for your psyche." I tapped the side of my head. "Hope is what keeps us bird-freaks running. It's what keeps everyone running. That is the secret to life. Just hope for the best and while everything may not get better right away, things have a way of working themselves out in time. So don't worry about your mom and about how you believe that she didn't want you because, _honestly_, you will never know that for sure until you ask her yourself. Maybe one day you will be able to."

Fang stared at my hand on his arm, his expression was unreadable. He appeared to be in a trance.

"I guess you're right."

"Of course I'm right! I wouldn't have lectured you if I wasn't."

He smirked and we got up off the ground. We brushed ourselves off and resumed our search of the perimeter.

"Huh, you know you're pretty cool, Cecilia."

"Thanks. You'd be cool too if you weren't such a downer." I joked and playfully nudged him in the side. He promptly returned the favor.

By the time we arrived back at camp, almost everyone was asleep. Iggy was leaning back, propped up against a tree, his unseeing eyes wide open.

"Finally! Damn, you guys took _forever._ Geez, now I can sleep."

Fang smiled and gave me a small wave before relocating to an isolated spot in the trees. Still not completely tired, I went to go sit next to Iggy.

"Hey."

"Hey."

We stayed in silence for a bit, but I liked his company. I know this might sound weird, but it was as if I could _feel_ him listening to me. Well, not my talking of course. He was listening to my breathing, my heartbeat, and I could _sense_ it. It is kind of spectacular how even though he can't see, his senses are still sharp. He stirred a bit, then glanced over at me.

"Can I ask you something?"

"Sure thing."

"Ok, well. Not like this is my business or anything, but do you have a thing for Fang?'

My feelings are stuck on some middle ground between amused and embarrassed. It's not that I am taken aback by the sudden interest in my love life, but rather the fact that Iggy is possibly eluding to his own jealousy. So being the terrifically brave avian hybrid that I am, I gathered up all the courage I could muster.

"No. I am not into Fang. He's nice and all, but I don't think he's all that...fun. Besides, I pretty sure I'm interested in someone else right now."

Iggy's breath hitched. The quick, small intake of air was enough to make me move myself a tad closer to his face.

Without looking at me he said, "Pretty sure or _sure_ sure?"

"_Sure_ sure."

He was facing me then, his hand moving from its position on his thigh to my cheekbone. His thumb grazed over the surface of my face, as if he was carefully surveying my features. He moved in closer, as did I, and even though we have only known each other for a few days, I can safely say that this kiss is something I have been waiting a long time for.


	6. Chapter 6

I must have fallen asleep on his shoulder because when I woke up, Iggy was still under me. He's charming, in a puppy dog kind of way. I think cute would be a better word for him, actually, charming is more Fang's word. His heartbeat is soft and gentle in my ear, it fits him perfectly. He's warm, too. I can tell that it is about 6 in the morning from the sun's position in the sky. Surprisingly, no one is awake yet. I suppose the only reason I am awake is because I am used to it. It's always good to start the day early. I sighed into Iggy and he stirred slightly. He could be my boyfriend. I mean, do avian hybrids even _get_ to have boyfriends and girlfriends? Maybe we could just fall in love as some weird lab experiments without all the messy labels. I sure feel like I could do that now. It's crazy how much I've been through these past 15 years, love might be good for me. I stretched up enough to peck Iggy on the check. His once placid face broke into a wide grin.

"I knew you were awake." he smirked, amused.

"Then why didn't you say anything?" I chuckled along.

"Well because I'm sort of really comfortable and I saw no reason to bother the beautiful girl laying in my arms."

My smile became wider. "How do you know I'm beautiful?"

He pulled me tighter into his chest, "You see, we blind people just know these things. If your insides are beautiful then your outsides must be beautiful, too. And I know your insides are beautiful because they have to be in order to like a guy like me."

"That may be the corniest thing I have ever heard."

"Well, hey, you kissed me."

"Touche." I whispered and kissed him again.

His arm was slung lazily around my waist and his other hand rested squarely on my thigh. My hands were both on his jawline and one was able to twist some of the hair hanging past his ear. Suddenly, his hand tightened into a fist.

"Cecilia, someone is here. No, more than one person."

I froze, determined to not alert the attackers of our awareness of their presence. Iggy stopped breathing, an instinctual reaction that he probably learned a long time ago. Footsteps moved closer and closer to my side of the tree. I'm actually stunned that none of the other members of the flock are awake yet. One of the intruders, one of which I could now see was tall enough to be an Eraser, was within grabbing distance. I drew a "9:00" and "7:00" pattern onto Iggy's thigh and he gave my wrist a reassuring squeeze. I sprung then, twisting my Erasers arm enough to pop it out of its socket and kick him into a tree. I was right about their attempt to flank the both of us and Iggy was in the process of taking the other two Erasers out with multiple round house kicks to their abdomens. By this time, all of the flock was up and running, but before we knew it, we were over run by more than the original three. More and more Erasers sprouted from the forest, more than our punches could handle. The still somewhat groggy Max realized this a beat after I did.

"Everyone! Up and away!"

I vaulted toward my guitar up in the trees, my backpack already on my shoulders. Just as my feet pushed off the ground, a spare Eraser grabbed my ankle a whipped me out of the air so fast that I barely had time to yelp.

"Cecilia!"

My head was clouded by the sudden burst of pain, but I could tell that everyone else was already up in the sky. Then I heard thuds, the sounds of bodies hitting the ground.

"Come on, I got you." A voice whispered. It was Fang.


	7. Chapter 7

We flew for about an hour, for the majority of this time I was supported by Fang. My head was still throbbing, I must have hit it on a rock or something. Unfortunately, my healing can't do anything for headaches, just open wounds, same goes for blood loss. Basically if one of those two things happen, I'm screwed. I'm hoping that I don't have a concussion because that would mean a trip to the ER, which none of us want.

"I think I see some buildings over there." Gazzy pointed to a few, one-story constructs that were lined up down a few streets.

"Hey, I think I'm okay to fly now. You can drop me."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, yeah. We're going to land over there anyway."

And he did. This had been the second time in a few days that Fang had to carry my weight in-flight. I really shouldn't make this a regular occurrence. The fall was fine. My wings instinctually fanned out and rode the current back up. Max was the first to touch the ground and she motioned for all of us to land behind a bakery nearby. The landing was not as graceful as I had hoped, but I managed not to damage any other part of me. I rummaged through my bag and pulled out the bottle of water and some Advil. As I was chugging the mix of pills and liquid, Max started digging through the dumpster.

"What are you doing?"

"Looking for food, what does it look like?"

"In a dumpster?" I stepped towards her, "You know, there's this thing called money. The great thing about money is that it can be exchanged for goods and services, like food for example." I sighed. "You guys have watched way too many movies."

Everyone snickered. Max, seemingly stunned by my sass, glanced around then glared back at me.

"You got any then?"

"As a matter of fact, I do." I walked off then, the rest of the Flock followed. Iggy caught up with me.

"I think I'm beginning to like you."

"You didn't before?" I scoffed. "I am a woman of many talents, being a smart ass is one of them."

As we rounded the corner, the most beautiful thing appeared: a McDonalds. No matter where you are, no matter how isolated you may think you are, do not doubt the expansiveness of the McDonalds franchise. McDonalds is everywhere, Japan, Taiwan, England, I have seen them all. I have sparked a full-blown romance with the dollar menu. It's like they realized the need for cheap food and capitalized on people's need to satisfy it. The smell when you enter is like no other and quite frankly, it was like home to me. I ordered 21 double cheese burgers, 10 large fries, and 7 drinks from the less than thrilled employee. While the flock gathered the trays to sit down, I decided to ask the cashier some questions.

"Hi, my siblings and I are on our way way to visit our grandparents in Florida and our parents sent us in here just to get a quick bite to eat and well, they want to know what the name of this lovely little town is, so could you tell me?"

The cashier, a man about 23, looked me up and down. He wasn't particularly bad looking, but he didn't stand out from anyone else here.

"Your family is awfully...diverse." He answered, completely ignoring my question.

"My parents are big on adopting. When my mother was younger she found out she couldn't have kids, you see-"

"You're just outside of Raleigh and about an hour and a half away from the city." He was obviously bored of my story now that he had a satisfactory answer.

"Great, thank you." I attempted to hide the annoyance in my voice. I honestly could have kept that lie going all day if he had let me. Lying becomes sort of second nature when you have to do it so often. It's part of the whole avian-hybrid gig. "Are there any clothing stores around?"

"Just a thrift store down the street."

I nodded in thanks again and went to go eat, but by the time I returned to the table, half the food was already gone. I checked the time on the wall clock near the bathrooms, it was nearly 11:00.

"I'm going to go down the street. When you guys are done, meet me at the thrift store down the block. Here's 20 dollars in case anyone needs clothes too."

I grabbed two double cheeseburgers from the tray and left. Not long after I exited the restaurant, I heard footsteps running towards me.

"Unfortunately, due to my lack of sight, I can't exactly lead myself around, so I was hoping that you would lend me your hand?"

I held Iggy's hand as we strolled down the street. I figured I would eat the hamburgers later so I stuffed them into my backpack, a hard trick to pull off with my guitar still in my left hand. The fresh air and the slight breeze at our backs was refreshing to say the least. The trees that lined the sidewalks were lush and green, waiting for the upcoming fall to change the leaves. Since the thrift store was only a block away, we didn't have a lot of time to enjoy the scenery. The cool, stale air of the store was a sharp contrast to the the slight humidity outside. Among the isles of clothes, there we other trinkets, porcelain, and token instruments splayed across the shop.

"So let's see...I still have about 600 dollars after breakfast. That is definitely more than enough to get some clothes. Do you want me to get you anything?" His attire showed obvious wear. Two holes, large enough to stick my thumbs through, tattered the front side of his jacket and the knee region of his jeans were worn thin from kneeling.

"No, I'm fine. These clothes are-"

"Don't be ridiculous, I've got plenty of money. This shit is fantastic!"

Iggy laughed a little. We started looking for him first. We found the men's section in between rows of china plates and the shelves of old VHS tapes. I began to rummage through the racks. Iggy just stood there smiling, what a goof. Even though it's only been a few days, it feels like I've known him for a while. Time must be different for birds. Maybe being on the run taught us how fleeting everything is. I'd like to enjoy this feeling while I can because Iggy could be gone tomorrow, I could be gone tomorrow. For some reason, I think Iggy knows that too. 


	8. Chapter 8

I found this white ruffled shirt with a deep red cardigan that I immediately feel in love with. The thrift store also had some off-brand red hair dye the seemed to match the hue of my clothes. I admit, this ensemble was a bit more girly than I was used to, but sometimes I think it's good to embrace other sides of yourself. I got an electric blue hoodie for Iggy along with a green and blue plaid shirt and a white t-shirt. Both of our jeans were not in bad shape so we decided to wait on those. I went to the cashier to check out. She was a kind looking elderly woman who was wearing glasses with those beads connected to them like librarians wear. She rung everything up with ease and told me the total was fifteen dollars. As I reached into my backpack to get the money to pay her, her eyes wandered to the giant case that was beside me.

"Is that a guitar, young lady?"

I looked up from my backpack, my wallet now in hand, "Why, yes, it is. It's acoustic."

"Well I don't want to seem rude, but my granddaughter has wanted to learn how to play the guitar for the longest time and no one has gotten around to getting her one yet. I was wondering if you could let me buy it off you?"

Normally, I would never take this deal. However, normally I travel by myself. The amount of times that the flock has had to carry my stuff over the past few days has kind of gotten out of hand. Behind the counter I saw a small wooden ukulele hanging from the wall. The elderly woman must have noticed my gaze.

"I'll give you two hundred dollars and that ukulele right there. Does that sound like a deal?"

That sounded like more than a deal, though I can't help but wonder what a little old lady was doing carrying two hundred dollars in cash around. I guess she sound be relatively safe because no person with a shred of humanity would steal from a grandma.

"That sounds perfect." I lifted the guitar case on to the counter and the cashier removed the ukulele from the wall. "Tell your granddaughter that this guitar has a lot of history and that his name is Harrison."

She nodded in response and gave her cute little smile and all in all I walked out of that thrift store 200 dollars richer. The flock still hadn't come to the store yet so we figure that it would be best if we just walked back to McDonalds.

"You named your guitar?"

"Of course! I name everything that is important to me."

"Then what about the ukulele?" Iggy lifted up the small case that was in his right hand. I made him carry that so I could carry the bag of clothes.

"Why don't you come up with a name for him."

"Him?"

"I'm a girl so it always has to be the opposite gender."

"Okay, uh," his eyes squinted just a tad,"How about...Ash?"

"That's a great name! Ash it is."

When we arrived back to the McDonalds, the flock was casually sitting in a string of booth where we had left them...though they had trays of about 20 or so apple pies in front of them.

"So this is what you did with my money?"

They all flinched with surprise.

"Yeah, well, they just smelled so good. We couldn't resist." Nudge stared down at the empty pie containers in front of her, ashamed. Max was the only one who didn't seem the slightest bit embarrassed.

"We still have more if you need one." Max, again, said this with every shred of dignity still intact. That earned her a glare from Fang which she immediately shrugged off.

I sighed with that kind of motherly disappointment. I don't feel like their mother exactly, I honestly have no interest whatsoever in acting like one, but I do like these guys (even Max who is a little...rough around the edges) and I want to stay with them.

"It's no big deal, but it can't happen again. Now that I have to buy food for all of you the money is going to go a lot faster than normal for me. We have to be money conscious."

They mumbled their "okay"'s and I sat down next to Angel in the booth. I ate a single pie then rummaged through the bag of clothes and took Iggy's out. I handed them to Iggy, who was sitting next to Fang, and then went to the bathroom to get dressed. I had almost forgotten that I had bought the bottle of hair dye from the store. I wet my hair in the sink and followed the directions in the box. I don't want to dye my entire head red, but I thought it would be a nice touch to have some highlights. I barricaded myself off in the handicap stall and put my backpack on the floor, it made a nice cushion. I had 20 minutes to kill before my hair dye needed to be washed out so I took at my small electronic tablet and began to watch some "How to Play Ukulele" videos. I figure it can't be more complicated than guitar. The time passed by quicker than I though it would and the timer went off on my tablet. Rinsing my hair in the sink was a bit difficult, but I think that I can safely say that I'm a seasoned pro. I tossed my old shirt and undershirt but I stuffed my jacket into my backpack. I felt about as fresh as one can feel after taking a "shower" in a fast food restroom. When I walked out, aghast was the first one to see me.

"Whoa, Cecilia, you look super cool!"

I giggled in response and which triggered the rest of the flock to check me out. They all gave me their respective compliments, except Iggy who seemed to catch my gaze and then gave me a reassuring nod as if to say "Even though I can't see you, I am sure that you look as good as I can imagine."

Fang leaned into Iggy and not-so-subtly whispered, "Your girlfriend is hot, man." I almost cracked up completely when I heard this and I guess that max overheard it too because she did not look happy.

"Anyway guys, let's get to business. Fang, you had something you want to share with the group?"

"Yeah, right." His face morphed back into one of seriousness, "I lifted this off an Eraser this morning."' He held out a business card from some place in Alabama. "I googled it already and saw that it's some kind of storage facility though it is owned by some company know for its genetic research. I was thinking that this might be the place where they keep company records."

"That's wonderful. What are we waiting for?"

"There's a catch." Fang leaned back into the booth. "It is a trap."


	9. Chapter 9

"How do you figure?"

"There are two ways in and two ways out, one of them being the front door. Seeing as ringing the doorbell isn't an option, the only other way is an underground passage that leads to the center of the facility which is, without a doubt, guarded. It's probably how they transport documents and secret materials."

It's an interesting layout to say the least. I pressed my back into the foam lining of the booth and propped my feet on the nearest chair. There has to be a way to get into the facility without being ambushed. The last thing we need is to get captured of course, but who knows what kind of valuable information could be stored inside of that warehouse. If I was alone I'm sure the stealth approach could get me in the no problem; I'm like a winged ninja, I swear. Somehow I doubt that the flock would let me go in there alone, so how do we smuggle in a group of kids into a heavily guarded building...a diversion. I've got it! I snapped forward, formulating a plan.

"Okay get this, what if we cause a diversion? Fang is right, we can't just waltz into the front door and demand that they give us their files, that's the last thing they would expect us to do. But that's just it, walking in the front door is the _last_ thing they would expect us to do. What if we cause a lot of ruckus in the tunnel to make them think that we are going that way and then while they are distracted, we sneak in through the front? That way there will be less guards and we will be able to anticipate where the remaining ones will be."

Fang stared at the table in concentration.

"That...might work."

"But we still don't know if the facility is worth the risk! There is no guarantee that we will even find anything of importance there." Max interjected, ruining Fang and I's optimism. It seemed odd that she was questioning the validity of Fang's source. Of course there is no _guarantee_ that we will find anything of significance at the facility, but when you're a mutant bird-kid trying to save the world, anything is worth a shot. Besides, that place could have info on my brother.

_You're right, Cece. We should go_.

The voice in my head reminded me of a certain six-year old who happened to be sitting right next to me...and who I don't recall giving permission to read my thoughts.

_Sorry. Sometimes it just...happens._

_It's whatever, I guess. So why are you so eager to go?_

_Well you've been so nice to us so far and we've only known you for about a week and a half. I think the least that we can do is help you find your brother._

_Wow, that's really kind of you. Thanks._

She gave my hand a reassuring squeeze. Angel is awfully insightful for a six-year old, I can give her that.

"Max, we should go. Even if there is no guarantee, there still might be information on our parents there. We have to go." Angel was carefull to leave me out of her argument and instead made it about the whole flock. Clever girl.

Max sighed as if she had already considered that fact. Though now that someone else has brought her thoughts up, she conceded.

"Fine. If everyone really wants to."

"Great." Fang stood up, ready to leave,"Let's head out."

* * *

><p>It only took us about six hours to get to Alabama. By the time we found the address on the business card the sun was about to set. Thankfully, the place was surrounded by trees for us to hide in while we waited for nightfall. Max called us to gather around her for a briefing.<p>

"Iggy, Gazzy, Nudge, Angel, you will be the distraction. Iggy and Gazzy are going to set off a few bombs in the tunnel, while Angel and Nudge keep watch. Fang, Cecilia, and I are going to make our way into the records room as soon as we hear the explosions. We'll meet back hear as soon as we're done. Simple enough?"

We all nodded in unison. It did sound relatively simple, but talking is a lot easier than doing. The sun was just about to cross over the horizon completely now, we had less than 30 minutes. I felt a sudden tug on my sleeve. It was Iggy.

He leaned down and pushed my hair behind my ear. "Come with me." He whispered.

I followed him a bit deeper into the forest. The others didn't seem to care that we were leaving, I assume that they knew we would be back on time. Twigs snapped underneath the pressure of my shoes as we traveled deeper and deeper.

"I, uh, wanted to make sure we were out if earshot." Iggy explained, once we had come to a stop. "I know that things have been going super fast for us and, to be honest, I don't even know you that well, but I do know that I like you very much. If things go as planned tonight then I think that we should...damn I sound like an idiot. I guess I'm just trying to ask you if you would be my girlfriend?"

I laughed. It was a automatic reaction, but it felt out if place. Iggy started to turn red. "Oh I'm sorry, I thought I was already your girlfriend. I mean it sure seems like we are dating...in a weird avian sort of way."

"It's just that things were moving really fast and I thought that even though you kissed me and everything it didn't mean that-"

"I don't kiss just anyone you know."

"I know, but-"

"Iggy." I gripped his upper arm. "I kissed you because I really like you and I happen to be really happy that it didn't take me long to realize it. If things are moving too fast for you then we can slow down, but I would rather enjoy as much time together as possible. Who knows what could happen tomorrow? Or the next day?"

"Yeah, you're right, I think that too. I wanted to make sure I wasn't freaking you out or anything. I didn't want to pressure you into a relationship you didn't want. I'm glad we figured this out."

"Me too."

I hugged him really tightly, making his warmth familiar.

"Heh, I've got a girlfriend."

"Oh my gosh, you're such a dork."

"I'm a dork who's you're boyfriend."

"Touché." I rolled onto my tippy toes and kissed his cheek.

Iggy began to lead the way back to the others, when he whipped his head around to look at me.

"Wait a minute, what if that was our last kiss or something?!"

"Well then," I smirked, gently pulling his head down to mine. I kissed him for real this time, a little bit more passionately than I had done before. "You'll have that to remember me by."

He blushed more. I couldn't help but laugh more to myself. Thankfully, when we regrouped, Iggy had already regained his composure. Thank The Lord that nobody asked questions.

Max acknowledged our return with a quick glance.

"Be careful, Iggs."

"You too."

Once again, we gathered around where Max was sitting.

"Alright gang, let's split up."

A/N Hey, it's Jay. It's 11:54 pm when I'm writing this and I am going to post it as soon as I'm done with this note. I felt super inspired tonight so I figured I would write this chapter. I already know where the next few chapters are going and hopefully I'll be able to write and post the next one tomorrow (maybe my brain is trying to make up for the years it has taken to update this story). Sadly, I'm still trying to figure out the ending (I don't know, good stories never truly end, right?), but it might take me a little bit. That's all of the update I wanted to give you guys. If you want to chat, feel free to PM me. Read and Review! Happy Reading!


	10. Chapter 10

We waited within the cover of the forest for 5 minutes. 10 minutes. 20 minutes. Bang. That was our cue to haul ass over to the front door. There were two guards, one on each side of the entrance, both dressed in sleek black suits...who also turned into Erasers the moment they laid eyes on us. Predictable. I threw myself at one, wrapping my legs around his neck and twisting. He fell to the ground in a heap. I couldn't be sure if he was still breathing or not, but I can't say that I really care either. My blood lust is triggered by my fight or flight response and because of it, I almost always choose fight. It might be a little hardheaded of me to always choose to stand my ground, but I would much rather die fighting.

"Christ, where in the world did you learn to do that?" Fang gapped, landing his last punch on the other Eraser before he also dropped to the ground.

"I told you I've been around." I smirked. "I picked up some martial arts."

Fang shook his head in disbelief and then motioned toward Max who was already busting skulls inside of the building. She was surrounded by three Erasers which were easily picked off once Fang and I arrived.

"I have to admit, your plan is working well, Cecilia. According to the blueprint of the facility that Fang found, the records room should be a few minutes from here." Max pointed down a long, narrow corridor.

Despite the facility's large size, it was simple to find our way. Each hallway had arrows nailed to the wall with corresponding division. We didn't even need a map to navigate. Before long, we arrived at a set of steel double doors.

"Dammit, a keypad! We should have brought Nudge." Fang kicked the plaster so hard that paint chipped off.

"It's not too late. I could run outside and get her and bring her back-"

"Or...we could try the next best thing."

I approached the keypad. It was flimsy enough; the edges were smooth, not sharp. After flexing my fingers out, I rolled my hand into a fist, pulled back, and let the keypad have it. It shattered from the blow and electricity fizzed up from within it, but only enough to give me a small zap. My fist on the other hand was a bit more bloody than I had anticipated. Ignoring it for the time being, I yanked the handles of the door which opened with hardly a problem.

"Ha, well it's a good thing they were magnetic because that wouldn't have opened other wise." I let out a light-hearted laugh.

"That was reckless. That was absolutely irresponsible and now look at your hand!" Max was pink in the face with anger.

"It's not a big deal. It's not bleeding that much so all I have to do is heal it. And Honey, being on the run is no fun if you can't be a tad bit reckless." In fact, being on the run is no fun at all, but the joke was worth the look on Max's face.

"Come on, Ladies." Fang urged.

Max stomped in ahead and I followed behind. Fang gave me quick look of approval and then entered behind me. I felt a sharp stinging sensation on the right side of my body. Oh, my hand...right. I did have a role of Lifesavers in my pocket (How ironic) to keep my blood sugar in check, but I'm afraid those might come in handy later. I'll deal with the pain for now and wait until we're in the clear to heal. I do have the bandages from earlier though. Those were the only two things I thought to grab out of my backpack before I let Iggy borrow it to store his explosives. _Iggy. God I hope he's okay_.

The storage room was massive...and filed with file cabinets. I didn't think that Fang meant _literal_ files, as in, not digital.

"What is this? The Stone Age? They had electronic locks, but when it comes to documents it's like they've never heard of a computer."

"Just start looking, Cecilia."

I huffed. We don't even know how much time we have before the rest of the Erasers figure out that we broke in and come to kick our asses. I analyzed the cabinets. Each had a label printed on to the front. _Blood Work. Dietary Trials. Experiments_. Okay, here we go, experiments. Thankfully, the folders were in alphabetical order too. Avian was pasted right on the tab of the first cluster of papers.

"Guys, I found it!"

Fang and Max ran over to where I was standing, eager to know the paper's contents.

"Read them!" Max was practically falling over herself with anticipation.

"There are only two of them." Eight year-old me was plastered on to the upper right hand corner of the first cover page. Fang, presumably as young as me, was in the corner of the second.

"This one is me and this one is Fang."

I couldn't help but wonder why ours were together? What about the rest of the flock? Where were their files?

I pushed the thought aside and handed Fang his. He began to read aloud:

_Test Subject #734_

_The Avian Hybrid Project_

_Doctor's Note_

_11/15_

_With the passing of his fifth birthday, November 14th, the subject is showing signs of reclusiveness. The subject is responding well to treatment, though shows little interest in social interactions. His body has yet to accept the camouflage adaptations, but more research will be done to determine if more tests will be effective. Though not a failure, his twin sister, #733, still shows more promise. Studies will be conducted to see if the differences are genetic or psychological._

Fang violently flipped through the rest of the pages.

"All of these are doctor's notes. But what does it mean that I have a sister? Jeb never told me that."

Without waiting for Fang to finish, I began to read mine aloud. Part of me didn't want to because part of me already knew the truth. The other part needed me to confirm it.

_Test Subject #733_

_The Avian Hybrid Project_

_Doctor's Note_

_11/15_

_With the passing of her fifth birthday, November 14th, the subject has made remarkable progress. Her mirroring capability has sky rocketed in the past few months. Subject was able to perform an extremely complicated piano piece by simply watching a prerecorded performance. In theory, the subject should be able to mirror virtually any skill, demonstrating an unsurpassed adaptive capability._

I paused. That explained a lot. My ability to play the guitar, my knack for martial arts, even my crazy wicked ability to pick up the ukulele. I had always thought that I was just a fast learner, but all this time it had been programmed into me. All of those "how-to" videos on YouTube were _encoded_ into my brain. So much for natural talent.

_If all goes to plan, her twin brother, #734, will develop a skill set similar to his sister's level._

That was it. That was all the proof I needed. Fang was motionless, but I knew he knew it too.

"Fang...you're my brother."

"And you're my sister."

All the time I spent looking, searching had finally paid off. For some reason it wasn't as touching or rewarding as I had imagined it to be. I mean here he was, my brother, Fang, and I couldn't even find it within myself to hug him. Then it hit me...he already had a family. I had expected my brother to be some loner kid trying to survive on his own, if he was even able to escape confinement that is. But Fang didn't need saving, he didn't need anymore of a family, he didn't need me.


	11. Chapter 11

I was too busy wallowing in a pool of my own self-pity to hear the footsteps of about two dozen Erasers thundering down the hallway. Max was still in a state of disbelief and Fang was still in his depressed looking daze when they all charged into the room. Normally, I would have already been halfway to the nearest McDonalds ready to celebrate a mission well done. Unfortunately, _normally_, I don't do missions with a bunch of other teenage avian hybrids. I had a feeling that there wasn't much else in my record that would be of any use; I got the information I needed. We were surrounded now and the only way out being the way we came in...which was now obviously blocked by the hoard of Erasers.

"Fang?"

"Yeah?"

"This is the center of the building, right?"

"Uh, I guess so, yeah."

"Then you and Max need to find the entrance to the tunnel. Fast. I'll hold them off."

"But there are at least twenty of them! How do you expect-"

"Just trust her, Max. Come on."

Another frustrated look from Max and another reassuring nod from Fang. It's like head nodding is his own language. I know Max thinks I'm the biggest pain in the ass ever, but I can't help but hope she likes me a little. I mean, I like her, even if I do think getting on her nerves is one of the greatest joys in my bird kid life. Maybe one day she'll see me as a real friend...that is to say that I survive this night. The Erasers snarled at me without uttering a word. We understood each other in a sense. They want me dead and/or captured and I simply want to escape with my life. The Erasers seemed to be waiting for me to make the first move, but quite frankly I am in no hurry to get this fight started. My right hand still tingled a bit underneath the bandages. I fished the remaining cloth out of my pocket and did a quick wrap of my left, though I know my knuckles are going to be bruised regardless.

Inhale.

...

Exhale.

...

Go.

They came four at a time. For every one that I knocked down, another would take its place. I was much faster than them, probably due to my nimble body type and their...not-so-nimble physiques. My blows were not lighter, however. I struck quickly, not weakly. My fists landed solid strikes in the throats and stomachs of my opponents. Maneuvering from one wolf freak to the next, I relied mainly on my hands only using my knee for the occasional cheap shot to the crotch. I knew that if I raised my leg too high they would catch it and then I would be finished. I don't think I could manage to escape their grip, not with enough time to rebound. One of them landed the first hit on me square on my rib cage. I winced, but held steady. I couldn't afford to mess up. According to the running tally I'm keeping in my mind, I've got about fourteen more to go. This plan is working out pretty well I have to say. The punches and kicks I was enduring were bearable, partly because I had a crazy amount of adrenaline flowing through my veins. Suddenly, there was an overwhelming commotion among the Erasers who were still waiting to get a hit in.

"They're here. Move out of the way!" One of them shouted.

For a moment I thought that maybe the rest of flock was coming to the rescue (because I'm not sure how much longer I can keep doing this before my luck starts to run out), but there was something in the way he said it...he was happy.

"Cecilia! Cecilia, we found it! Come on!" Max was screaming across the massive room. I made the mistake of turning towards her voice which earned me a hard smack across the face. I staggered and plummeted to the ground though instead of falling on my face, I used this momentum to push myself into a full on sprint. I heard more footsteps...a lot more. Behind me, a new wave of idiots were rushing forward, who just so happened to be surprisingly human. These humans had something that the Erasers didn't. Guns. I was closing in on Max and Fang, they were guarding a hatch in the floor not unlike a manhole leading to a sewer.

"Get in! They have guns!"

My words were drowned out by the deafening ring of firearms. I couldn't tell if the bullets were being aimed anywhere near me because I was focused on the getting the hell into that tunnel. Max and Fang were yelling at me from their positions, telling me to pick it up, I'm sure. I whipped my head around once more, out of instinct, and much to my dismay, some asshole decided that I wasn't a good enough target for him, so he pointed his gun to Max. Max was within tackling distance now and, good thing for her, this is where the whole reckless thing comes in. I barreled into her just as the shot fired. Without waiting for her to recover or ask any questions, I rolled into the hatch and slid down the ladder. Max did the same, then Fang who wedged a stray piece of PVC into the door handle.

"That's not going to hold them for long. Not with the Erasers."

We took off in a hurry again. The cover of the forest was just beyond the exit where Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel should be waiting. Distant chatter radiated throughout the corridor, but we were too far ahead for them to catch us now. The cool touch of the ladder, the prickly feel of branches against the skin, and we were there. They were there too.

"Guys, we need to get going." Max whispered to the others, her voice staggering from the gasps of air she was taking in between words.

"Don't worry, we have time. I planted more bombs on the other side if the building to make sure that we would have a clean getaway."

"That's brilliant, Iggs." Max sighed with relief and made herself comfortable on the nearest patch of leaves.

Iggy grinned and made his way over to me, his expression unfaltering. He slipped his hand around my torso and rested it on my back. Without warning, he jerked his hand away with horror.

"You're bleeding." He said, his tone a strange mix of worry and alarm.

"It's probably a scratch. I wish you could have seen me back there I-"

Iggy's palm was drenched in a thin, crimson liquid. His jacket, the one I had bought him, had traces of blood smeared on to the front. The flock all gapped at me, faces contorted into those of panic. Practically the entire lower half of my blouse was dyed red, my shirt and cardigan soaked. I got down on the ground and propped myself against a tree. I stripped the reddened clothes off my body. It wasn't really the time for modesty or embarrassment (since Iggy is blind and Fang is my brother, Gazzy is the only one who I should have to worry about) so I did it without hesitation. The blood hadn't touched my bra so at least I wasn't completely topless. There was a hole, about the size of a dime, in the left part of my abdomen. Fluid was still leaking out of the entry wound and it wasn't until then that the pain hit me, like a bullet train. No pun intended. It was this ache combined with this incredible, fiery burn. I can't really compare it to anything that would do the feeling justice. My head was throbbing and I could feel myself finally start to slip. I put my hand on the injury and pressed. I let out a squeal which contained all the agony that I would have allowed myself in a scream. The flock was talking, which I didn't notice until now. I tried to focus in on the voices, which was a feat considering the cloudiness of my mind. Iggy was trying to get me to say something to him, to tell him what had happened. Max was cussing under her breath in an attempt to devise herself some sort of solution. Gazzy was holding Angel who's soft sobs were audible even when muffled by Gazzy's shirt. I didn't see Nudge around me, though I knew she was here when I arrived. Fang was adjacent to me, analyzing my situation.

"Can't you just heal yourself? That's your power, isn't it?"

"She's losing too much blood, Max." Fang answered, not even looking up when responding to her.

"I'm..." I stuttered. I can do this. Talk, dammit. "I'm healing as much as I can on the inside to stop the bleeding. I can't...I can't heal over the bullet, it's still in there."

I was fading fast, whether from the blood loss or the drain from healing, I couldn't tell. I reached for the Lifesavers in my pocket. My fingers lingered near the package, but didn't have the strength to pull them out. Fang realized what I was doing and proceeded to take them out, unwrap the foil, and fed them to me. I felt useless for the umpteenth time in the short while that I've been with the flock. Fang always seemed to be the one who had my back. I'm so stupid for not seeing what he was sooner.

"You know what we have to do, Max."

"We can't! Don't you remember what happened to you at the beach..." she paused, rethinking her words. "Remember the first time we went to a hospital?!"

"Yeah, I do. And we're still here, aren't we?"

"I'm not doing that again, Fang. I can't put the flock at risk like that. Not for some girl that we just met."

So much for the "friends" idea. Iggy was up now. He was furious. His voice was too loud for my brain to handle so instead, it turned his yelling into an incoherent buzz.

"I'll take her." Fang.

"I won't let you do that. You're a part of this family." Max.

"She's my sister...she is my family."

Everything went black.


	12. Chapter 12

I want to die. I really, REALLY want to die. There was a heaviness to my body. I didn't have the strength to open my eyes or move my arm or move any part of me actually. Why does everything have to suck all the time? All of my limbs were sore and ached something fierce. I wish I had never woken up. I wish that I could have slept forever, that way, I wouldn't have to worry about being hunted anymore. But here I was, in a hospital. The sickly sweet antiseptic smell was too distinctive for me to not notice. The itch of the IV needle was also very apparent in my arm. Why did it have to come to this? _Oh wise and all-knowing Bird Jesus, what did I ever do to piss you off this much?_ When I finally found the strength to lift my eyelids, the intensity of the artificial light was almost too much to bear. A warm mass radiated heat from my right side. It was Fang. His head was bundled up into his arms which were resting on the blankets covering my thigh. With a grunt, I sat up in the bed. His eyes in turn fluttered open and his expression morphed from confusion to relief.

"Cecilia. Thank God."

"I wouldn't be thanking God at the moment. I kind of feel like shit."

"Well better to feel like shit than not to be feeling at all."

I disagree.

"So tell me brother, how did I get here."

Fang explained to me that after I blacked out, he and Iggy managed to convince Max into letting them take me to the hospital. It was actually less negotiation and more of a "we're just gonna take her body and go" sort of deal. Iggy and Fang took turns carrying me all the way here. Once they arrived, it was decided that Fang should be the one to take me in (for obvious reasons of course) and he managed to finagle me into surgery. By a stroke of sheer luck he was able to convince the doctors and the nurses to not call the cops or perform heinous experiments on me.

"How long have I been out?"

"We've been at the hospital for two days, but you've only been asleep for a day because of the drugs they gave you before the surgery."

My memory of the past two days were hazy to say the least. I do remember bits and pieces though. There was a lot of yelling and a lot of white noise. I remember being tired out of my mind, a feeling similar to having a hangover. I remember nothing else other than vague feelings.

"Even though this is not exactly my ideal situation," I sighed, scanning the room, "I cannot express how grateful I am to you, Fang. For everything you have done for me."

I stretched my arms out and motioned him closer for a hug. Though I'm sure he's not the hugging type, he made an exception. I embraced him as tight as my weak body could manage. I buried my head in his shoulder, which was awkward, but strangely comforting.

"I think some part of me knew you were my sister the entire time. I don't quite know how to explain it, but...I think that's why I was so nice to you...why I felt so responsible for you."

"Maybe it's because we're twins." I released Fang from my grasp. "Maybe we have this weird telepathic, psychic connection. Tell me Fang, did you feel any pain when I was shot?"

Fang laughed a little, which seemed to make this situation about a thousand times better.

"Hey Fang?"

"Mhm?"

"Promise me we'll stay together. Promise you won't leave me, okay Bro?"

He nodded. "I promise. I promise, Cecilia."

I held out my pinky for him. He intertwined his pinky with mine, making a solid pact with me.

"I spent way too long trying to find my brother and I'll be damned if I lose you now. I'll follow you to the ends of the Earth, kid."

"Kid? We're twins. We're the same age."

"Well that may be, but I think we both know that I came out of the womb first. I mean look at me, I reak of maturity."

Fang laughed harder this time and I couldn't help but chuckle at my own joke.

"So when are we breakin' out of here anyway?"

"Whenever you're ready." Fang gestured towards my bed ridden body. "Nudge and Angel picked out and dropped off some clothes for you to wear out of the hospital so you don't have to use the bloodied ones. I also got you a candy bar from the vending machine to help you heal the rest of the way. I'll wait outside while you get dressed."

It took quite a bit of effort to get out of bed, but shaking off the soreness was key if Fang and I were going to ditch this god forsaken place. My bullet wound was stitched together and seemed to be already healed. I rummaged through the room in search of some scissors. When I found them, I ripped open the packaging and began the tedious task of removing the thread. After a few attempts, I realized that the job was impossible to do in my current state. My vision was still slightly blurry and the drugs I was on seemed to make my hands not as steady as usual. I shrugged and quickly dressed and removed the IV needle. Nudge had picked out this neon pink crop top with light faded short shorts. This choice of clothing, while practical for summer, was not practical for concealing my still obvious bullet wound. I called Fang into the room to help me. When he saw my outfit, he couldn't help but stare.

"That's uh...loud."

"Yeah, well, Nudge is the one who chose it so what did you expect?"

"Good point."

I gave Fang detailed instructions on how to cut away the stitches in my side. Even after the briefing, he still seemed nervous.

"Don't sweat it. All you have to do is cut the thread and pull. There is literally no way you can hurt me. It's absolutely painless." Okay so I may have lied slightly. He definitely _could_ hurt me, but I was sure that he could handle this simple procedure.

Fang removed each thread, one by one. The removal should have only taken 5 minutes tops, but Fang was set on taking his time. Once he was finished I realized that my previously smooth skin was now tarnished with a bumpy, roughly circular scar. This was the one thing that my bird DNA couldn't heal. Our scars were as permanent as any normal human's. It did look pretty badass though, so it's not like I cared too much.

Surprisingly enough, the hospital staff thought nothing of us. We easily slipped past security and out of the front door. Fang lead me through the parking lot and into the trees. From the cover the forest provided we were able to take off undetected. The branches tickled my legs. I was flying too low. I couldn't tell if the difficulty was from my injury or my exhaustedness, but I I was determined to power through regardless. Fang flew high above me, making sure to keep a watchful eye out for danger. I pumped my wings harder, faster than I had before. After a few seconds of hard working, I began to gain altitude.

I did not feel any pain from the surgery. My healing combined with the sedatives must have delayed most of the soreness. Fang glanced over at me, happy to see that I was almost back in the swing of things.

"The motel isn't that much further."

"You guys got a motel? With what money-oh."

"We'll pay you back...eventually."

The motel was rather extraordinary. The blue paint plastered across the door frames was now peeling. The concrete surrounding the entryway was cracked and weathered. Room 128. Fang fished inside of his pocket for the key. He pulled it out and fiddled with the lock until it opened.

"Busted lock." He explained.

I nodded with reassurance. Inside were two beds decorated with the comforter sets that looked like they hadn't been changed in decades. One of the lights softly flickered against the wall. Max was sitting upright in one of the beds, petting Angel's sleeping head which lay in her lap. Nudge was curled up on the other side of Max, breathing softly. Gazzy was in one of the tacky burgundy arm chairs, his legs over the sides of the rests. Gazzy's snoring was light, but noticeable in the quiet room. On the other was Iggy. His legs were slightly bent and his hands were balled into fists beside his face. Max looked up then, giving a slight nod and Fang a forceful gesture telling him to get outside. Fang turned around to leave, but before he could get out of the door he grabbed my elbow.

"They were so worried about you that they couldn't sleep. It looks like now they are finally getting their rest."

Fang left when Max pulled him out of the door. I heard loud chatter outside that eventually got softer and softer as they moved away. I laid down next to Iggy. He was absolutely silent. If it wasn't for the slight expansion of his chest, I would have assumed him to be dead. I snuggled myself into him and used one of his arms as a pillow while the other was draped over my side. He didn't seem to notice at all, but something told me he was awake.

"I don't know if you can hear me, Ig," I decided to act as if I didn't know, "but the past few weeks have been something else. I don't know what I'm trying to say really, but...I'm really scared, Ig. I', scared that something will happen to me or you or that I won't be able to see you again. I think that's why I love you so much. We don't have time to take things slow. I love you, Iggy. I do."

He wasn't breathing. The slight movement of his chest had stopped, confirming that he was, indeed, listening. I pressed my forehead against his chest. He didn't have to say anything. I didn't need him to. To be completely honest, I just wanted to get it off of my chest. I closed my eyes and began to drift off. I felt a hand grip my hair and a chin rest against the top of my head.

" I was so terrified of losing you. That can't happen again. I wouldn't be able to take it." His voice trembled.

I felt a moistness drip down my scalp. I didn't reply, I just let him hold me. He cried and I listened and then he said "I love you too." His hand crept down my back, brushing my exposed skin.

"What are you wearing?"

"Oh, uh..." I could feel my face get hot, "Nudge picked it out."

"That explains it."

I closed my eyes and cuddled against him once more. It wasn't long before I was fast asleep.


End file.
